Mar 22 The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival

The Alliance Francaise French Film Festival is well and truly underway, delivering foreign film to Perth in at the Cinema Paradiso, Luna on SX and the Windsor cinemas. Celebrating it’s 25th year, the event is running from the 18th of March through until the 6th of April, bringing to us some exciting films.

It is impossible to see every single one of the dozens of films on offer, so we’ll take you through some of our picks of this year’s bunch, as well as give you the low-down on the special event screenings.

11.6 – dir. Philippe Godeau

11.6 refers to the ludicrous sum of millions of Euros stolen in the true story this action thriller is based upon. Becoming a folk hero in 2009 when the heist was undertaken, it is a thriller starting with the discontent a mundane job can cause and that the solution to these problems is just to turn into some kind of modern day Robin Hood.

Tour De Force – dir. Laurent Tuel

With all of the controversy surrounding the world’s hardest race, Tour De Force examines, with hilarious results, the obsession Francois has with Le Tour De France which ultimately leads to the loss of his family and job. However, at the end of this unfortunate turn in his life, Francois sets out to ride the route one day ahead of the actual event, attracting a large following ansd ultimately winning back everything he had lost. Set in the amazing French countryside, with stunning landscape and race cinematography, it’s a must for the event.

Wrestling Queens – dir. Jean-Marc Rudnicki

An estranged mother attempts to reconnect with the son she had as a teenager, however she decides to do this through the magic of professional wrestling. Outrageous comedy ensues as she forms a troupe with co-workers and enters the ring.

Our Heroes Died Tonight – dir. David Perrault

Our Heroes Died Tonight is a neo-noir drama set during the early days of professional wrestling, investigating the criminal association of match-fixing as it envelopes our heroes life. Shot in black-and-white with incredible results, you should check out its Australian premiere.

Camille Claudel 1915 – dir. Bruno Dumont

Another compelling true story, however somewhat darker and more devastating thematically than 11.6 comes Camille Claudel 1915, which showcases the confinement and isolation of an outspoken and unconventional woman who threatened the status quo.

In addition to these films, there are a number of special event screenings, the most promising of which is undoubtedly the festival’s collaboration with La Femis, a Paris-based film school, which will feature shorts from up-and-coming talents on the 31st of March. The closing night screening of Jacques Tati’s 1958 film Mon Oncle will undoubtedly provide us with an entertaining look back at comedy’s early stages through one of French cinema’s icons.

Anyway, all of the information you could possibly need can be found here.